Incidence and medicolegal significance of wormian bones in human skulls in North India Region

Abstract

Introduction: Wormian bones (Wbs) are small bones located in or near the sutures of the skull which are irregular in size, shape, and number. The present study is to look into the morphological details of such supernumerary bones of skull with regards to their incidence, number, and topography in skulls from the Haryana region. Materials and Methods: This observational study was carried out in the tertiary care hospital, in the region of Haryana and the total of 147 human skulls were examined during routine autopsy procedures with respect to sutures and topographic distribution of Wbs. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: In the present study, the overall incidence of Wbs was seen in 52 skulls (35.3%) with males having 23.8% and females having 11.5%. Conclusion: The knowledge of incidence and distribution of Wbs in the skull could be useful to radiologists, causality medical officers, and autopsy surgeons in successfully differentiating a skull fracture from normal suture with Wbs or exit gunshot wound from fractured small Wb and thus ruling out the possibilities of presence or absence of fractures due to physical abuse, brittle bones, and exit gunshot wounds. It is also helpful to neurosurgeons in timely diagnosis and management of diseases or fractures in relation to the Wbs.

Study of incidence of wormian bones in southern Haryana - A prospective observational study

“…We have known of wormian bones for a very long time. 9,11,12 In our study, incidence of the wormian bones was found to be 20.78%. The incidence of wormian bones varies in the literature.…”

“…16 Simlarly, Marti et al and Goyal et al in their respective studies also showed maximum incidence of wormian bones along with lambdoid suture. 4,12 In the present study, the second most common site of wormian bone was at sagittal suture (5.38%). Only 1 (0.77%) case showed wormian bone in coronal suture.…”

“…in Haryana over 147 subjects, overall incidence of wormian bones was seen in 52 skulls (35.3%). 12 The variation may be due sample size and place of study. The incidence of 4.…”

Prevalence, Number and Localization of Wormian Bones in Anatolian Adult Dry Skulls

“…There are different hypotheses that these ossicles are mechanically induced and that they are associated with genetic defects (3). Because of their unusual appearance, these ossicles can be misdiagnosed as fractures during radiographic imaging, which is one of the reasons why these ossicles are clinically important (12,13). Although WBs can also be observed in healthy individuals, they are known to be associated with some cranial or central nervous system disorders (14).…”

“…Localization of the WBs is important not only for anatomists but also for anthropologists, radiologists, and causality medical officers. Moreover, in autopsy surgery, knowledge of WBs is essential for the correct identification of traumatic fractures of the skull or (12). Despite their clinical significance, limited studies have been done on the number and topographic distribution of WBs in the Anatolian population.…”